Mike Escamilla
s backside is still out of commission and is not allowing him to do any riding. He did get himself a surfboard this week (actually, two), but due to his rear-end"troubles, Mike hasnҒt tried the board out yet cuz it hurts too much trying to learn something new when youre injured. He has been filling out a daily diary in preparation for a book heҒs writing about his travels and exploits. Mike got some Dave Osato Samurai signature balls
made, since they're both such big golf fans. He also did an interview for the Fuel TV channel for a show that covers top ten riders in alternative sports. Rooftop reads? Yep. Check out a book review Mike wrote on www.bmxonline.com

Taj Mihelich
has, as usual, been working hard at T1 in Austin. To add some extra work this week, he helped etnies / T1 teammate Joe Rich retrieve pictures and other info from Joes computer that he previously thought were lost. Taj bought a retrieval program that restored a lot of the content. Whew! Taj has once again been getting more into vert riding at the Gutes ramp. He attended the new T1 Art Directors art show at a gallery downtown that had a huge BMX rider turnout. Taj has had plenty of people to ride with this week. Whether it be at the T1 ramp or the 9th Street trails, there are a lot of visiting riders right now in Austin, including etnies riders Adam Baker and Josh Stricker, as well as the usual hometown riders.

Ruben Alcantara
is still home in Spain enjoying family time as well as hanging out with friends and getting in plenty of riding. He has also been surfing a bunch and riding
his motorcycle--being careful not to open up the stitches in his head he received a couple of weeks ago from a motor scooter accident in the Alps.

Joe Rich
was bummed for a while that he had lost all the work on his computer (he also thought it was funny in a weird twisted kinda way)--pictures, files, footage, etc., but thanks to a retrieval program that Taj Mihelich got ahold of, Joe was able to get the majority of his data back. Joe has been riding with all the usual Austin locals, as well as the many visitors in Austin right now. Whether it be at the T1 ramp, 9th Street trails or at GuteҒs vert ramp, Joe has been getting plenty of saddle time in.

John Heaton
has been home in Toronto for the last couple of weeks freezing his ass off. He has enjoyed playing hockey a couple of times a week with friends. Because of somewhat crappy
weather, John has had to drive a couple of hours to go ride the nearest skatepark. He has been going about two or three times a week just to get his riding fix. John has also been going down to the X Dreams skatepark in New York to do some riding.

Nate Wessel
spent time at home with his family in Cleveland since returning from Florida, where he spent Christmas with his girl. Hes been shooting footage for a new Chenga skatepark video coming soon. Nate left on Monday to fly to Vancouver to help his buddy Jay Miron build his warehouse ramps, as well as help Dave Osato get his garage-style ramps done. Nate may be heading out to Los Angeles to attend a skatepark convention in Long Beach at the end of January.

Jason Enns
is home in Vancouver trying to get some riding sessions in. They had two feet of snow up there, which really put a damper on things. Jason said that he somehow got stuck for two hours in his driveway before snowplows came to the rescue, allowing him to leave. Jason has been working on some indoor ramps that he and his good friend Dave Osato have been building. Etnies teammate Nate Wessel is on his way up to Vancouver to help with some of the more intricate parts of the construction. Jason has also been watching plenty of The Price Is Right
.

Sandy Carson
is back home in Austin after doing a road trip out to California, where he spent Christmas with his girlfriendҒs mom down in Oceanside. As always, hes working hard on Dig BMX
magazine, as well as riding with all the folks in Austin right now. He has also been going to art shows and seeing some bands play.

Edwin Delarosa
is currently down in Puerto Rico filming for the next 411 / Fit Bikes vacation-style video that is a follow-up of the Barcelona video. Edwin is down
there with etnies B team rider Justin Inman, as well as the rest of the Fit team. Etnies teammate Dave Freimuth is also coincidently down there. Edwin is due home on Thursday, January 15. Check out his part in the new Ainmal bikes video.

Dave Freimuth
is currently down in Puerto Rico coincidently at the same time as Fit bikes and etnies teammate Edwin Delarosa. Dave is there with his riding buddy and good friend Brian Kachinski. HeҒs due home on Monday, January 12 (but if things go good, he may stay longer). Check out the new Area 51 skatepark at www.Area51skatepark.com

Garrett Byrnes
is currently in Austin hanging-out with his bosses (and etnies teammates) Joe Rich and Taj Mihelich. He has been riding a bunch down there, going to art shows and just basically enjoying the fruits of doing nothing and having no conceivable agenda.